Learning a Gentleman’s Sport in a World Full of Hypocrites

By; Sarah Chovnick

When Sarah Chovnick left the University of Alabama she knew a few things for sure; 1.) She loved sports and 2.) “Roll Tide” was the best phrase ever uttered. As a recent graduate she set off on a new journey in a world she was less than used to. But in just a bit, she found the essence of a little game called golf. 

Welcome to another take on Rule 71. 

Tiger, Rory, Phil. Those are the ‘currents’ we all know. Their likeness is trade-worthy in words over the water cooler or coffee machines in the break room. Then there is Jack and Arnold and those of the sort. Everyone with the least bit of sports knowledge knows them, even if some know them for having a similar name to a famous actor or the fact that they trade-marked epic iced tea concoctions.

            For the average Joe who turns on SportsCenter every now and again to see how their home team did in the big game, those are the only ones they need to know. And if you yourself are sitting there thinking, “she is talking about golfers, right?” then you would be correct. I am talking about golf, the gentleman’s sport. 

            But the vast majority of vaguely knowledgeable sports fans would have no idea who Luke Donald or Lee Westwood are. For those of you who are saying, “No, Sarah. And why should I care?”, I say to you they are the number 1 and number 3 ranked golfers in the world, respectably.

I would be lying if I said that as of a month ago I knew any more than these simple truths. If you had asked me, “Sarah, what do you know about golf?” my answer would have been as follows. Tiger was good, then he cheated on his wife and he hasn’t won much since. Rory, that dorky little curly head kid, has a pretty cool accent and I didn’t know who he was until a year ago. And some dude named Bubba, who is, unfortunately, a Georgia Bulldog, just won the coveted green jacket from Augusta. Roll Tide. And that was my answer…even when I applied for a job at the Golf Channel. 

How I ended up doning a NBCUniversal Employee badge is still somewhat of a mystery to me. But I can honestly say my knowledge of the gentleman’s sport has drastically increased in a small amount of time.

Little background information and shameless plug inserted here… Golf Channel is a 24-hour network dedicated solely to, what else, golf. A morning news talk show kicks off the day and a SportsCenter-esque news show titled Golf Central in the evening, padded out by various original programming and tournament coverage. The channel, part of the NBC Sports family, provides up to date information about everything and anything golf related. Okay, schpeil over.

Bottom line, I was as clueless as the next one about the sport. Sports, sure, I knew. Quiz me on anything college football and NFL related and I could school you. But golf, I was out of my element. While I was driving down to Orlando I thought to myself, what have I gotten myself into? Sure I can learn it quickly, but who knows if I will even enjoy it.

Not only have I learned so much more about the sport, and know exactly who Westwood and Donald are- but also who Dustin Johnson is, and, why it was a huge stepping stone for him when he won the FedEx St. Jude Classic in Memphis a handful of weekends after coming off an injury. Then it was onto the U.S. Open, which he failed to excel. I can also tell you that Shanshan Feng won the Wegman’s LPGA Championship as the first female Chinese golfer in history. And I can also tell you that I now fully enjoy the game of golf.

Watching Tiger at the Memorial Tournament in Ohio was not only exciting for spectators of the sport, but those who work in it as well. Not only did he tie Jack Nicklaus for the second most career wins, but he also did so in champion fashion- fully equipped with the made-for-T.V. fist-pump with an excited crowd in the background, happy to cheer on golf’s version of Michael Jordan who was finally back in the winner’s circle.

Golf has this way of roping a viewer in to watching for hours on a sport they aren’t entirely sure of the rules-and maybe that’s the beauty of it. There are no refs to argue with on a blind call or politics over who should really deserve the number one ranking. Golf is about numbers. Money won, strokes made, putts missed, birdies, bogeys, and the occasional eagle. 18, the number of holes played every day. 72, the typical par for a championship golf course. And in case you were ever wondering, 336 is the average amount of dimples on a regulation size golf ball (Thank me later when you win trivia because you know this fun-fact).

Golf is about distance measured between tee and green. It’s about wind, rain, dryness, temperature, and technicality. It’s a concentration sport, not an athletic one. It’s about comebacks and legacies. It’s about unsung hometown heroes that rise above all odds and snag the trophy when they entered Sunday 6 strokes behind. It’s about the game, not about the fame.

And that’s why I have learned to love it.